PROMOS - Programme to improve the mobility of German university students - This grant scheme is financed by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF). The funding is made available to universities to encourage student mobility by enabling them to spend semesters at destinations when they cannot be funded through any other structured DAAD programme.
Any Bachelor or Masters students can be funded
- who have German citizenship
- who are treated in the same way as Germans under Art. 8 Para. 1 Clause 2 et seq., Paras. 2, 2a and 3 BAföG. The precise text is available at www.das-neue-bafoeg.de
- and non-German students at the bbw Hochschule - University of Applied Sciences if they are enrolled on a course with the aim of graduating at the bbw Hochschule - University of Applied Sciences
- have successfully completed at least one year's study on a Bachelor course. Masters students may apply right at the start of their course.
Persons described in 2 and 3 will not be funded for stays in their home country.
Countries/regions for which the German Federal Foreign Office has issued a travel warning are excluded from funding.
Applications close on 1st May and 1st December for the next semesters respectively.
Students who face additional expense in the foreign country due to a disability may apply for funding for special needs. Please get in touch with us.
Studying
Semester and research stays at a recognised university are funded for up to four months. The level of the grant depends on the destination country and is assessed according to the level of the usual DAAD partial grant rates, 300 euros per month in most countries. Course fees cannot be covered. You may only apply for semester grants in the ERASMUS area if there is no ERASMUS cooperation or no ERASMUS funding is possible.
In order to recognise studies completed in the foreign country, you complete a Learning Agreement before you go. In the Learning Agreement you indicate the courses which you intend to study in your host university. You will usually find the modules and module descriptions on the host university's website. You can use the (translated) module descriptions to clarify to Exams Management whether the studies you will do in the other country will be recognised at the bbw Hochschule - University of applied Sciences. The Learning Agreement is used to agree your learning objectives and the recognition of your studies in the other country. The Learning Agreement needs to be signed in Exams Management.
Internships
Internships may be funded via grants of up to four months or a travel expense subsidy. Exceptions are internships in the ERASMUS area: EU countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Turkey and organisations in the DAAD Trainees programme. Internships paid between 500 and 1,000 euros are funded via a one-off travel contribution. Internships paid more than 1,000 euros shall not be funded. In most countries the fixed sum is 300 euros per month.
Applying
For more detail on the application process, consult the bbw Hochschule - University of Applied Sciences' International Office. In advance, here is a list of the documents that you will need to have ready:
- CV (
Europass template)
- Cover letter (the purpose of the intended trip in relation to the course content)
- Certificates
- References/letters of recommendation from a bbw lecturer
- If studying: Evidence of language level and Learning Agreement
- If a language course: Confirmation from the provider, list of hours/course timetable
- If a specialist course: Confirmation from the host institution or the provider
- If an internship: Internship agreement (with information about the duration and any pay)
May be submitted retrospectively if not available when applications close.
Only complete application documents and completely filled in forms will be considered.
Selection process and selection criteria
Grant recipients will be selected based on the quality of the cover letter (the planned purpose, preparation for the international visit), course grades achieved in the past and the language skills required, the letter of recommendation, and taking any social or community involvement into consideration (at the university or in the private sector).
A selection panel will study the documents submitted and then produce a ranking list based on a points system. The available funds will be allocated based on one's ranking per mobility. Applicants who are unable to be given any funding due to funding restrictions will be added to the ranking as alternatives.
Multiple funding
Students can be funded once in every course cycle (Bachelor, Master).
Combinations with other grants and BAföG funding
- DAAD individual grants and PROMOS grants may not be claimed concurrently.
- PROMOS funding may be drawn unrestrictedly at the same time.
- No funding through PROMOS is possible if the same funding purpose is being pursued with public funding from Germany. The PROMOS funding should be declared if there might be other sources of grants.
- Any student who is receiving a PROMOS grant must disclose this to the relevant International BAföG office. Where an individual is receiving an international BAföG subsidy, up to 300 euros of any monthly partial grant is exempt from means testing.
If a one-off travel contribution is paid through the BAföG, no travel expense funding is permitted through PROMOS.
Insurance
Make sure in advance that you have sufficient insurance protection. You should find out what health insurance you need in the country where you are going, and consult your health insurance provider.
DAAD offers students the option of an international insurance policy (combined health, accident and personal liability protection) via the
DAAD group tariff. Refer to the DAAD website for more about the tariffs.
Note
Funding may only be given if the
German Federal Foreign Office has not issued a travel warning for the country concerned, or the relevant region of the country, during the funding period indicated in the grant approval document. If a travel warning is issued after the visit has begun exchange students/grant recipients must leave and report the fact. Any funding may not be continued thereafter. All exchange students/grant recipients should be registered on the Foreign Office website ("
Elektronische Erfassung von Deutschen im Ausland", particularly when travelling in regions where the security situation is critical.).